Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay

Well hello there! It's been quite a long time since I last wrote anything here. Not because I haven't wanted to, but more that I haven't had time or motivation to get off the sofa to do so. I think it's better to write like this (for me anyway) as it gives me space to do other things and then come back to this space refreshed. At least that's the theory!

It's half term here in our household and we shouldn't actually be in Yorkshire. We should be on holiday on the south coast of England but sadly family illness has meant that we were unable to go. However chins are up and we're looking on the bright side of things and enjoying some treats closer to home. Starting with a cracking day in Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay.

The sun shone all day on Saturday and it was a beauty of a drive over the North York Moors to Whitby, home to the famous Abbey and setting of Dracula. We've been many times over the years and although I do still like it a lot, it feels like it has lost a lot of it's quirkiness and charm. I'm not entirely sure why this is although I suppose most places have to adapt to who visits and what they will want from a seaside town. It's also ridiculously busy. We did the usual tours around the winding streets and climbed the famous 199 Abbey steps. Chips were bought at lunchtime and scoffed in the sunshine whilst being pursued by a pesky seagull. Vintage stalls were perused and purchases made as well as some locally brewed ale. All good stuff.

In the afternoon we headed off to Robin Hoods Bay, a small fishing village about 10 minutes drive away from Whitby. A walk down a very steep hill to the bottom where there is a beautiful sandy beach with rock pools for treasure seeking. Little cottages with their bright red roofs line the winding streets and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. It's an enchanting village and I really didn't want to leave.

Pubs were bustling with families enjoying lunches outside. Antique, books and gift shops were pleasant to browse in and we enjoyed an ice cream on the beach. We weren't brave enough for a paddle, but we did do a bit of rock pooling and fossil hunting. Sadly we found nothing! I also stopped in at Station Stores to buy some freshly roasted coffee from

Sadly we had to make tracks back to Leeds and I wished we could have stayed a lot longer. We'll definitely be back to explore this area more as it's a very special place and I've fallen for it's charms.

And finally I wanted to give a quick mention to a new project I'm involved with. The

page. It is very much in it's infancy but we're hoping it will gradually build to being a great page and will include social gatherings and invitations to events. Please do pop over there and give us a Like! Not only are we linking our own blog posts to the page, we're also asking other bloggers to contribute to it. So if you are a blogger in Yorkshire and would like to share something with us please email me on jenlittlebirdie@yahoo.co.uk. Thanks muchly. x